In Hyderabad, the High Court ordered the disqualification of BRS party MLC Dande Vithal for forging his opponent’s signature and withdrawing his nomination. Vithal was elected in 2022 under the Adilabad local body quota, but his opponent, Congress party leader Pattireddy Rajeshwar Reddy, filed a petition alleging forgery. The Court not only disqualified Vithal but also fined him Rs 50,000.
This is another setback for the BRS party, following a recent ban on party chief K Chandrashekar Rao by the Election Commission and another MLC, K Kavitha, being jailed for alleged involvement in the Delhi liquor policy scam. Vithal had four more years in office before the disqualification, and he plans to appeal the High Court decision in the Supreme Court.
Out of 937 votes in Adilabad’s local body, Vithal received 744 votes while an Independent candidate got 74 votes. The Court’s judgment focused on allegations of nomination withdrawal without the candidate’s notice. Vithal denied any involvement in the withdrawal and expressed confidence in getting justice from the Supreme Court.
